Racial tension escalating in Poland: human rights ombudsman

Hate speech against foreigners has increased over recent months, and “racial” beatings happen on average once a week or every two weeks, said Poland's Human Rights Ombudsman Adam Bodnar.

Adam Bodnar. Photo: PAP/Rafał Guz

"We can observe an extraordinary wave of hatred on the internet,” Bodnar told an international conference in Gdańsk on Monday, adding that Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza is considering closing its comments section due to the high number of racist comments on articles related to immigration or the refugee crisis.

Bodnar said that the newspaper's staff cannot cope with moderating the large amount of comments.

“What is interesting, and probably a new trend, is that people have no problem with the fact that they comment under their own names,” Bodnar noted.

“This is the moment when words turn into deeds. About once a week, or every two weeks we [receive a report] of a racial beating,” Bodnar said. (rg/pk)